All you have to do is turn on the radio or television news to understand that we are in a global recession. The stock markets seem to be on a never-ending downward spiral. The financial sector is still shaky and the automobile industry is in turmoil. There are many bad things about a recession that make you want to stay in bed in the mornings. Whether it be heavy job loss, record level home foreclosures, companies going bankrupt, or individuals not being able to get financing – this list is long. But what are the positive things about a recession? I would like to focus on some of these positives that my family can benefit from during this holiday season.
I have noticed that many of the local restaurants and some of the national chains have been offering incredible deals for getting customers into their place of business. Just the other day, we got a voucher in the mail from Lone Star Steakhouse for $10 off our next visit. There were no requirements on the deal, other than you get $10 off your bill. My wife and I are going to go and split an appetizer and drinks this weekend when we are out shopping. I have also noticed that Restaurant.com is offering very good deals at a higher frequency. Earlier this week, they ran their 80% off promotion which they do from time to time. Then a few days later, they extended the promotion even longer. I think the voucher and the deals noted above are a strong signal of just how bad things are. I believe the restaurants are really in a fight right now just to get people in their doors.
Check out this great deal from Restaurant.com good through 11/24/2008 – 80% off Savings on $25 Gift Certificates. $2 when you use code SURPRISE.Now thru 11/24/08.
Retailers are also feeling the pinch and are doing everything they can to get people into their stores. Kohl’s, J.C. Penny, and others have stated they will be increasing their marketing and discounts this holiday shopping season. Target has also came out saying they will be slashing prices even more to follow the lead already set by Walmart. All of this news is good for the consumer, provided you are in a position that you can afford to spend money on gifts and presents. My wife and I always enjoy holiday shopping and are really looking forward to getting some rock bottom discounts this year.
Sears and Kmart are taking a similar approach, but have actually been promoting their holiday sales and programs through SocialSpark, among other media. Just in the past week, I have posted two sponsored post articles promoting Sears layaway program and Kmart’s 25,000 deals under $25. As I mentioned above, I believe retailers are doing anything they possible can to stay afloat this holiday season. While this is not good news for shareholders and the overall economy, the consumer can at least take advantage of these opportunities.
Every day when I drive home from work, I see gas prices drop by a few cents just from the morning. I got so excited earlier this week when we finally dipped below $2.00 / gallon! It cost me under $20 to fill up my car this morning when I got gas for $1.87. While we are not planning any extra trips or vacations, cheaper gas has a direct impact on our bottom line. We have a $200 per month budget for gas. Back in the late summer, we came within a few dollars of this mark. Since that time, our monthly gas expenses have been cut in half! Provided gas stays under $2, we should be able to stay under $100 per month in gas expenses, which puts the other budgeted $100 directly into our short-term savings.
Our local phone service provider called us last evening and informed us of a new set of deals in an effort to help people save money in these tough economic times. They mentioned that if you remain loyal to them, you could get some incredible savings. I will admit that some of the deals they were offering are very impressive. We are considering a few of the options they have available.
My wife and I plan to take advantage of these opportunities when they become available. However, we are not going to go on a spending spree and purchase items we don’t need. After all, the economy is in really bad shape and I believe we need to save as much cash right now as we possibly can. I think it is very important to pick up on these small clues given to us by retailers and restaurants mentioned above. They are realizing that things are bad right now and are fighting to survive. It would be wrong to simply ignore these signs and assume everything is going to be fine.
Check out my new eHow article titled – How to Reduce Stress During a Recession
What type of deals are you finding?
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I think we will see a lot of retailers offering larger discounts on the way up to christmas as well!